Fitting



Patented Dec. 21, 1948 FIT TING William C. Buttner, Evanston, and Savin L. Sundstrom, Chicago, I113, assignors to The Bastian- Blessing Company, Ch

of Illinois icago, Ill., a corporation Application March 25, 1947, Serial No. 736,994

This invention relates generally to valves and more particularly to an improved valve or fitting for use in conjunction with containers of liquefied petroleum gases.

Petroleum products such as butane, propane, butylene, propylene and various mixtures thereof are commonly stored in containers under pressure in both the liquid and vapor phases, the vapor being in equilibrium with the liquid. These substances in their vapor phases are generally used as fuel, particularly in rural areas where piped gaseousfuels such as natural gas or producer gas are not available. Relatively pure liquid propane and a mixture of liquefied butane and propane known as commercial butane are in widest use at the present time. I

In general, two types of gas systems are employed. The first type which is more adaptable to the needs of consumers using large volumes of gas comprises a large immovable tank equipped with conduits and pressure regulators. This tank is filled from time to time with liquefied petroleum gas from tank trucks which transport the gas from bulk storage plants to the consumer.

The second type of system is more readily adaptable to the smaller consumer. Here cylinders holding approximately five cubic feet of liquid are filled at the bulk storage plant and delivered by truck to the consumer to be attached to his service line through a pressure reducing regulator. When a container becomes empty it is replaced by a full one and the empty is returned to the distributor for refilling.

The valve or fitting of this invention is particularly intended for use with the latter type of system but may also be used on permanent tan installations with advantage.

Valves; currently used on cylindrical gas containers usually comprise -a brass or bronze body threaded at one end and received in an opening at the top of the container. A passage through the body leads from the inside of the cylinder to a valve port. A movable valve member attached to a rotatable handle coacts with'this port to control the flow of gas therethrough, and a second. passage extends from the downstream side of the port to an outlet connection where the service line is attached. A spring loaded pressure relief safety valve is in communication with the passage leading from the insidebf the container. and allows gas to escape from the container should the pressure rise above a predetermined limit. Such a valve is disclosed in the copending application of Savin L. Sundstrom 3 Claims. (01. 621) 2 et al., Serial No. 698,171, filed August 8, 1946, reference to which is hereby made.

When a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons such as commercial butane is allowed to evaporate in a container by withdrawing vapor, the more volatile constituent, in this case propane, will tend to vaporize first leaving the liquid richer in the less volatile constituent, butane. Thus the vapor withdrawn will not have a uniform composition and, therefore, will not have a uniform heating value. One way of overcoming this disadvantage is to educt liquid, rather than vapor, from the container and vaporize it by supplying heat units and reducin the pressure. This procedure is quite generally followed in large permanent tank installations, but has not been much employed in the small replaceable cylinder systems, because of the limitations imposed by the presently used cylinder valves.

If a cylindrical container is filled with liquid, beyond a certain safe point, and then allowed to become warmer, the expansive force of'the liquid will be added to the increased pressure'of the vapor with the result that either the pressure relief valve will open, with resultant loss of fuel and danger of fire, or the container may burst. The present practice is, therefore, to carefully weigh the amount of liquid charged into a container stopping the filling operation when the danger limit is reached. This is, however, a difficult procedure and is frequently subject to error.

One object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder valve having a vent tube of small cross sectional area which extends down into the cylinder to the safe fill level and through which liquid will be forced When the safe limit of filling is'reached to give a visual indication to the person charging the cylinder that it has been filled to the safe limit.

Another object of this invention is to provide a unitary fitting having a back check filler valve, a spring loaded pressure actuated safety valve, a manually controlled service valve, a fusible plug for releasing pressure should the temperature rise above a certain point, and a vent tube which will indicate overfilling of the container. Another object is to provide a fitting having a unitary body which may be economically formed from forged aswell as cast metal.

Another object is to provide a compact fitting in which the pressure actuated safety valve opens in an upward direction so that the cylindrical'container will not be upset by back pressure if the safety valve. functions.

eduotion system may be formed by merely eltew ing the length of the tube, the same fitting being used in either case.

Other and additional objects will be apparent to those familiar with the art on reading @the following specification in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 :is a section of a cylindrical container showing the manner in which the .fitting refs-this inventionisrinstaliled. I

Fig. :2 rise section showing the fitting installed in .a cylindrical container modified ior vapor eduction.

.Fig. 3 is a top view of the fitting 16f this invention.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken :on line 4-4 of .Eig. i5 "is a vertical section-taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 3..

The cylinder valve or fitting Hits shownin'ilh'e. 1' to .be installed in..aq.cylindrical container {H containing liquid 12 in equilibrium with vapor 13, The. fitting t0 comprisesa forged. i01 cast body 2M provided with a pipe thread 15 at its lower .end for supporting it in .a threaded iopening It .inthe top of the cylinder II. A second thread I'fl is machined ion the body 14 abovewtheppipe thread t6 and supports-a nut :18. (Figs. 4 and 5.) carried by the nut serves to form .a :pressmre tight seal between the top ofzthe A sealing gasket 12-0 cylinder :H and itherbody i4 whenithe nut 2051s screwed downwardly. I The body-t4 approximates the shape of the capital letter Y, two bosses 2:1 and T22 inclined at an angle from the vertical being provided thereon. Two horizontal .loosses 2.3 .and;;24,adiametricallyspaced on opposite sides of thebody 4 4., arealso provided. Apassage 25 extends .fromithc bottom of the body I 4 upwardly to the middle where 'it connects :with ,a passage 2?! extending into the boss 2| and a passage 28 extending into the boss 22. The boss :2! is hollowed out to form a cavity 30 connected to the passageZ'iand the boss 22 "has .acavity 31 connected toxthe passage.

member 42. This member 42 is urged away from the member by a small spring 43 in the bottom of the hole 4!. The top face of the member 42 is hollowed to receive a valve disc 44 held in place by a screw 45,

The valve member 42 is normally held against a :seat46 integrally formedxin a cap member 41 which is secured to the end of the boss 2| by a thread 48. 7 An internal thread 5| is provided in .athe cap member 4'! for securing a dirt cap 50.

.Awasher 52 supported in the cap member 41 "forms a gas tight seal between the member 41 and theme andthe top of the cap member 4'! is provided withia coarse thread 53 to which the fllh'hgreonduit itnot :shown) may be attached.

The boss 22 contains the pressure relief valve .:mechanism.comprising a valve member 55, a

spring 56, and a spring retainer 51. The lower iacewoi the member 55 carries an elastomer valve disc 58 which is normally held against the valve seat .50 by the force of the spring 56. lln 'ithe event that the pressure in the passage. 28 exceeds the iorceiof the spring :56, the valve .memberw55 will be forced away from the seat .60 and allow gas to pass cut/of the passage .28 by the; member '55 to the atmosphere.

The boss 23: contains :the service valve mecha nism .as shown in,- Fig. 4. A liquid eductionwtube or pipefiz extends froma point'iadiacentitoathe bottom of the container I I into a threaded;hole.-v

613 opening intothe passagecr cavityfisr Ashort horizontal 333859426 64 extends from thetopct this hole intoa cavity (i5 in the boss 23 forming 1&"2

calvepontfili.

A bonnet $1. is supported in .threads568 1m the cavity 65 and seals the periphery :of :a-fiexibledi-aphragmlfl .to the wall of the cavity 65. The bonnetfifl also supports the rotatable valve tem .11. Thisstem is provided with .threadsfiZ sothat rotation of the hand wheel 13, fixed .to .thezs tem ll will move it into or out of the cavity .65. The inner-end of the stem .1] is attached to avalve member 115 .by the head andsocket arrangement indicatedat 5, so that flongitudinal'lmovemfint; but not rotation, of the stem is transferred toth'e member '15. "The member "I5 is sealedto thediaphragm 10 by a nut ll-and a washer. l8 so thajti the inner portionyof the cavity is sealed from the. hein n ofthe member 1-5 is threaded to receive a retainer which supports an elastomervalve disc 81 in atmosphere by the diaphragm 10.

- alignment with the port 66 By this arran-ge j 28. flhus the interior of the container i'l fislyi-ncommunication witihthe t-wo cavities. 30 andBl-Q The cavity 30 contains afil ler valvewassembly' similar to that disclosed in PatentNo. 2,361,866 issued to H. L. Norway onOctoberBL .1944,'r.eference to which ischereby'made. The :nppergend of the cavity 311 is provided witha female thread 32 which receives'a' ring .33 having aconical valve vides for free passage of; gas'pastrthemember 35 when it is moved away from theseatM:

.A blind hole 41 is drilledzintc-themembergfifi from its top face for supportmg-arsecond waive ment rotary movement of the hand wheel l3will open or close the valve port 66. m

"A horizontal'drilled passage :82, disposed to one side and parallel to the 'pasageG l', extends-from the cavity 155 through-the body rtothe bottom of a cavity 83 machined into the boss 24." This cavity 83:18 provided with threads J85 .to which afitti'r'ig (not shown) on the end of the service conduit (not shown) may be screwed. Thus the valve- 15 controlswiihefiovv ofdiquid 12 from container H :into-theservice line.

.Anoftherztilbe 286 extends from a holed! inside. the body l4, parallel to-the tube 62,.to anointinside-the container 1.2!. The length of the. tube 816 :is determined by the height of the maximum.-

level to which-the cylinder -l I may be filled safely; Th-i-sis approx-imately,-% of theiiull capacity :of the container-1| when commercialbutane-is tobcstored. The .uimer end of. the 511016 87 :is;;in

communication ---with an ginclined. pa sa e .188

which. extends-to.thesbottom 10f a threadedhcle; Bil-.termhiatinsin ava-lveportie'l. Ayalve mem-s. her .92 -."nro ided r-with an elastom r:. dise..:93cis-;.

screwed into the threads 94. A small diameter hole 99 (Fig. '3) connects the bottom of the hole 90 to the atmosphere so that gas or liquid may escape therethrough when the member is unscrewed slightly. A pin- 95 of lesser diameter than the passage 88 and supported by the member 92 extends into the passage 88 providing a means to prevent the passage 88 from becoming clogged with foreign particles,

A threaded hole 91 (broken lines in Figs. 4 and 5) extends into the top of the body l4 and receives a threaded plug 98. The bottom of the hole 91 is connected by a passage I to the passage 21 and is, therefore, in communication with the inside of the Container The center of the plug 98 is drilled outand filledwith analloy |0| which melts in the neighborhood of 212 F. Thus if the temperature of the fitting I0 and container l4 should rise above 212 F. the fuze metal |0| will soften and be forcedout of the plug 98 allowing the contents of the cylinder H to escape to the atmosphere.

The modified fitting |0a shown in Fig. 2 is similar to the fitting l0 described above except that a short eduction tube 62a is substituted for the long liquid eduction tube 62. By employing the short tube 62a, a vapor eduction system results, for this tube 62a is somewhat shorter than the vent tube 86, and in practice the cylinder would not be filled to a level above the bottom of the tube 86. In some instances thetube 62a may be eliminated entirely to produce a vapor eduction system, but, if this is done, the fitting |0a may not be used in permanent tank systems which are operated continuously. By employing the short tube 62a, the danger of incoming liquid, as the tank II is filled, mixing with the outgoing vapor is eliminated. To insure that liquid draining down the tube 62a will not be sucked into the mouth of the tube 62a, a slight flare I03 is provided on the bottom serving to deflect the liquid outwardly from the mouth of the tube 62a. A similar flare 89 on the tube 86 performs the same function to prevent a false indication.

The operation of this fitting I0 is as follows: Assuming that the container H is empty and is about to be filled at a bulk storage plant, the dirt cap 50 is first removed, and a filling conduit (not shown) is screwed onto the threads 53 making a seal against the washer 52. Liquid under pressure is then allowed to flow through the filling conduit, the pressure first overcoming the force of the spring 43 to move the member 42 away from the seat 46. As soon as the member 42 has been lifted away, pressure acts against the member 35 moving it downwardly away from the conical seat 34, and the liquid flows past the member 35 into the space between the flutes 31. From this space it then flows inwardly through the hole 38, into the annular space 40, and then through the passages 21 and 25 to the container The vent valve member 92 is opened during the filling operation and air or vapor in the container passes out through the tube 86 and the passages 81 and 88, flowing through the small hole 99 to the atmosphere. As the container fills, the level of the liquid |2 rises until it reaches the bottom of the tube 86. When this occurs, liquid |2 rather than vapor |3 passes up the tube 86 to emerge around the member 92 and give a visual as well as audible signal that the cylinder H has been filled to the safe limit. The fiow through the filling conduit (not shown) is then shut off and pressure within the container moves the-valve members 35 and 42 again'st-theirfie spective seats when the conduit is disconnected. After the dirt cap 50 has been replaced, the cylinder I I may be transported to the place where gas is to be consumed. 1

A service conduit (not shown) is then connected in the hole 83 in the boss 24. The hand wheel 13 may then be rotated manuallymoving the stem 'll outwardly. As the stem 1| moves, it carries the valve member 15 with it, lifting the disc 8| away from the port 66. Pressure of the vapor l3 inside the container then forces'liquid l2 to flow upwardly through the tube 62, out of the port 66, and into the cavity 65. From the cavity 65 it flows through the horizontal-passage 82 and into the service conduit (not shown); This fiow of liquid out of the container WilljthBIl continue as gas is consumed until the member 15 is again-moved to close the port 66' or the container becomes emptied.

The method by which the disc 8| is fastened to the valve member 15 results in an advantage not found in conventional cylinder valves. Should it be required to replace the disc 8| the bonnet 61 is unscrewed to remove the valve member 15 from the body l4 and the retainer member is unscrewed, carrying the disc 8| with it. This disc 8| is then pushed out from behind and a new one pushed in. The retainer member 80 is then screwed back onto the member 15 and the member reinstalled in the body M. In a similar manner the diaphragm 18 may be readily replaced by removing the nut 11.

From the foregoing it will be apparent to those familiar with the art that a novel fitting or cylinder valve of considerable utility has been provided which greatly simplifies the filling operation when used on conventional containers for liquefied gas and which has additional safety features not found on presently used equipment.

It is not intended that this invention be limited to liquefied petroleum gases for it could be employed for other liquids or gases as well. It will also be apparent to those familiar with the art that various changes and modifications in the described embodiment may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention whose scope is defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination a container and a fitting received in an opening in the top of the container, said fitting comprising a body, a pair of inclined bosses integral with said body, a bifurcated passage extending through said body from a point inside of said container to the bottom of a cavity in each of said inclined bosses, a backfiow check valve received in one of said bosses for sealing one branch of said bifurcated passage, a spring loaded pressure actuated safety relief valve received in the other of said inclined bosses, a pair of horizontal bosses disposed diametrically on opposite sides of said body and having cavities therein, a valve port opening into the cavity in one of said bosses, a tube supported in said body extending from the common branch of said bifurcated passage to a point within said container, another passage connecting the end of said tube to said valve port, a movable valve member received in one of said horizontal bosses for closing said valve port, and a passage connecting the cavities in each of said horizontal bosses.

2. In combination a container and a fitting received in an opening in the top of the container, said fitting comprising a body, a pair of inclined bosses integral with said body, a bifurcated pas- '7 sag awn-ding thrbugh said adyifmm awint'im fiidci flf-isaid "contaimrxto the b0tt m'3oi amaviby lne'each oigsaid inclined bp'sse's,-a. backfiow ehenk alve 'remived in bn nfisaid bosses for. sealing one branch of said bifurc3td==paSSa 8. 'tvp ng lowed'sr ressureactuated safety relief valve reflfiivfidzin the-bther oi s'aid inclined :bosse's, a, pair =11! huflmnta'lbbsses'di'spnsed diametrica ly 0171 1031:- mm sides 10f said bodygam having -.rcavities izheremwa valve 'rpo'rt upenin-g into the --cavity. in

vane-"bf mid bossesga tube supportedinzsai mm flmfidm 'imm the'commnnbranchanisaid bifun utarlgpassage to a point adjacent the bottom "or sa'tdxmntainer, another passa e connecting :the

member received "in Due s'of -'saidphbrizontal bosses .immosingsaid valve port, and 5a passage-connecti'zgggthe ififivitifis iineachrof "said horizontal bosses.

- Fur use .z'i-n ax-fitting, avfillerwvalvenolnprising a cylindrical passage havingm shoulder atizone 'md zlfld an inwardly .facingronical :seat at the when n waive .membjr :substantiaHy-filiing and WIBLIAMC.:BUTTNER. zsAviN 12.:SUNDSTROM.

. :REEERENQES *CI-TED jmueifbliow'mg 'rej-fcrences are of record "in me "file 'uf-t'hismatentr "STA ES PATENTS 29 Number Name Date '2, 1WB,'8 29 White Oct..'17, 1937 

